Poverty in Europe

People at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the European Union

In 2010 the EU adopted the Europe 2020 Strategy. This strategy focuses on five targets. One of these is a poverty target which is to “lift at least 20 million people out of the risk of poverty and social exclusion by 2020”.

At the same time the EU agreed a way of measuring the numbers of people who were at risk of poverty or social exclusion. This is by adding up the number of persons who are at risk of poverty, severely materially deprived or living in households with very low work intensity. Persons present in several sub-indicators are counted only once.

Persons at risk of poverty have an equivalised disposable income below 60 % of the national median equivalised disposable median (middle) income. Equivalised is a way of dividing the income coming into a household between the adults (1.0 for the first adult and 0.66 for all other adults) and children (0.33 for each child) to come up with the amount for an individual.

Material deprivation covers indicators relating to economic strain and durables. This covers the share of population living in households lacking at least 4 out of the following 9 items: i) to pay rent or utility bills, ii) keep home adequately warm, iii) face unexpected expenses, iv) eat meat, fish or a protein equivalent every second day, v) a week holiday away from home, or could not afford (even if wanted to) vi) a car, vii) a washing machine, viii) a colour TV, or ix) a telephone.

Persons are considered living in households with very low work intensity if they are aged 0-59 and the working age members in the household worked less than 20 % of their potential during the past year.

Since the EU target to reduce poverty and social exclusion was set (based on 2009 levels) the number has grown enormously.

The following is the number of people (in thousands) experiencing poverty and social exclusion in the EU and some other countries

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

EU (28 countries)

:

:

:

118,007

121,314

124,060

122,897

EU (27 countries)

119,360

116,584

114,560

116,686

119,930

122,676

121,626

Euro area (18 countries)

70,641

70,642

70,359

71,521

75,130

76,603

75,827

Austria

1,376

1,699b

1,577

1,566

1,593

1,542

1,572

Belgium

2,261

2,194

2,145

2,235

2,271

2,356

2,286

Bulgaria

4,663

3,421b

3,511

3,719

3,693

3,621

3,493

Croatia

:

:

:

1,322

1,384

1,384

1,271

Cyprus

195

181b

188

202

207

234

240

Czech Republic

1,613

1,566

1,448

1,495

1,598

1,580

1,508

Denmark

905

887

962

1,007

1,039

1,057

1,059

Estonia

293

291

312

289

307

311

313

Finland

907

910

886

890

949

916

854

France

11,382

11,150b

11,200

11,712

11,840

11,760

11,229

Germany

16,760

16,345

16,217

15,962

16,074

15,909

16,212

Greece

3,064

3,046

3,007

3,031

3,403

3,795

3,904

Hungary

2,916

2,794

2,924

2,948

3,051

3,188

3,285

Ireland

1,005

1,050

1,150

1,220

1,319

1,378

1,358

Spain

10,373

11,124

11,336b

12,029

12,363

12,628

12,630

Italy

15,412

15,099

14,835

14,757

17,112

18,194

17,326

Latvia

765

740b

808

798

821

731

702

Lithuania

967

928

943

1,068

1,011

975

917

Luxembourg

73

72

85

83

84

95

96

Malta

79

81

82

86

90

94

99

Netherlands

2,558

2,432

2,483

2,483

2,598

2,492

2,648

Poland

12,958

11,491b

10,454

10,409

10,196

10,128

9,748

Portugal

2,653

2,757

2,648

2,693

2,601

2,667

2,879

Romania

9,904

9,418

9,112

8,890

8,630

8,907

8,601

Slovakia

1,150

1,111

1,061

1,118

1,112

1,109

1,070

Slovenia

335

361

339

366

386

392

410

Sweden

1,264

1,367

1,459

1,418

1,538

1,519

1,602

United Kingdom

13,527

14,069

13,389

14,211

14,044

15,099b

15,586

Iceland

38

36

36

42

41

38

40

Norway

764

701

724

716

705

681

714

Switzerland

1,304

1,333

1,338

1,291

1,308

1,350

1,271

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the

:

:

:

972

1,038

1,038

:

Serbia

:

:

:

:

:

:

3,005

Source of Data: Eurostat

:=not available e=estimated b=break in time series p=provisional

The following is the percentages of people experiencing poverty and social exclusion in the EU and some other countries.

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

U (28 countries)

:

:

:

23.7

24.3

24.7

24.5

EU (27 countries i.e. EU excluding Croatia)

24.4

23.8

23.3

23.6

24.2

24.7

24.5

Euro area

21.8

21.7

21.5

21.8

22.9

23.2

23.1

Austria

16.7

20.6b

19.1

18.9

19.2

18.5

18.8

Belgium

21.6

20.8

20.2

20.8

21.0

21.6

20.8

Bulgaria

60.7

44.8b

46.2

49.2

49.1

49.3

48.0

Croatia

:

:

:

31.1

32.6

32.6

29.9

Cyprus

25.2

23.3b

23.5

24.6

24.6

27.1

27.8

Czech Republic

15.8

15.3

14.0

14.4

15.3

15.4

14.6

Denmark

16.8

16.3

17.6

18.3

18.9

19.0

18.9

Estonia

22.0

21.8

23.4

21.7

23.1

23.4

23.5

France

19.0

18.5b

18.5

19.2

19.3

19.1

18.1

Finland

17.4

17.4

16.9

16.9

17.9

17.2

16.0

Germany

20.6

20.1

20.0

19.7

19.9

19.6

20.3

Greece

28.3

28.1

27.6

27.7

31.0

34.6

35.7

Hungary

29.4

28.2

29.6

29.9

31.0

32.4

33.5

Ireland

23.1

23.7

25.7

27.3

29.4

30.0

29.5

Italy

26.0

25.3

24.7

24.5

28.2

29.9

28.4

Spain

23.3

24.5

24.7b

26.1

26.7

27.2

27.3

Latvia

35.1

34.2b

37.9

38.2

40.1

36.2

35.1

Lithuania

28.7

27.6

29.6

34.0

33.1

32.5

30.8

Luxembourg

15.9

15.5

17.8

17.1

16.8

18.4

19.0

Malta

19.7

20.1

20.3

21.2

22.1

23.1

24.0

Netherlands

15.7

14.9

15.1

15.1

15.7

15.0

15.9

Poland

34.4

30.5b

27.8

27.8

27.2

26.7

25.8

Portugal

25.0

26.0

24.9

25.3

24.4

25.3

27.5

Romania

45.9

44.2

43.1

41.4

40.3

41.7

40.4

Slovakia

21.3

20.6

19.6

20.6

20.6

20.5

19.8

Slovenia

17.1

18.5

17.1

18.3

19.3

19.6

20.4

Sweden

13.9

14.9

15.9

15.0

16.1

15.6

16.4

United Kingdom

22.6

23.2

22.0

23.2

22.7

24.1b

24.8

Iceland

13.0

11.8

11.6

13.7

13.7

12.7

13.0

Norway

16.5

15.0

15.2

14.9

14.5

13.7

14.1

Switzerland

17.9

18.1

17.9

17.2

17.2

17.5

16.3

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the

:

:

:

47.2

50.4

50.3

:

Serbia

:

:

:

:

:

:

42.0

Source of Data: Eurostat

:=not available e=estimated b=break in time series p=provisional

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